GOP rep: A shutdown is ‘on the table’

Appearing on Jansing & Co. Monday, Rep. Marsha Blackburn said she’s willing to go into default or shut down the government over the debt ceiling if Republicans don’t get the cuts they think are necessary. ”There are ways to avoid default. If it requires shutting down certain portions of the government, let’s look at that,” she said. “Let’s put these options on the table–be very thoughtful–but get this spending pattern broken.”

A government shutdown isn’t the only plan of action on Republicans’ radar. “There is an option of raising the debt ceiling in short term increments,” Blackburn suggested–although she has not decided if she’d support that.

Rep. Blackburn says her constituents are tired of paying for programs with money the country doesn’t have and are willing to see the government shut down. “But they want us to be thoughtful in what is done… If you were to do the shutdown, exactly what is going to continue? Who is going to hold the purse?”

Several things would happen if the country breaches the debt ceiling: The Federal Bureau of Investigation would shut down, prisons would fail to operate, and tax refunds would not go out, to name a few. “We’ve already addressed some of these things,” Blackburn said. “Making certain the interest is paid, making certain that we prioritize.”